Let me start by saying that running a successful food drive is a lot of work. Anyone who can coordinate all of those loose ends, I commend you. I thought I had all of my bases covered on this one, but I was unsure about what kind of turnout I would actually have.
I started the day with about 50 lbs of food before the drive even began. My mother made two signs to go in front of the building. However, with all of my efforts and 6 tickets ordered on my EventBrite page, there were few visitors, other than personal contacts who planned to come. This leads me to revert to marketing class, when I learned about the marketing mix; the four P’s, which are:
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
So here’s an analysis of my successes and failures in this project. By focusing on the components of the marketing mix, I will narrow the scope of everything involved with the process. First, let’s talk about what went well. Then we’ll look at what could have been done differently to bring a larger audience.
Product – I had a draw – a raffle contest with hand-crafted ceramic pieces, candy, and free face-painting – with a suggested donation.
Price – I did not charge anything for the face-painting, although there was a suggested donation on the website (this is debatable as a success as the suggestion may have scared people away). Perhaps next time, I should not mention a price online and simply have a donation bucket visible at the site. Other than the suggested donation, everything was free with donation of non-perishable food.
Place – I chose a location that did not require special permission or incur costs for rental because it is owned by a family member. It was held outside and the weather was expected to be warm. The sun was out, but it was windy and cooler than expected.
The storefront is a location where my mother may possibly open a business in the spring. By holding the food drive there, we could see the amount of traffic and the ability to create a draw to the location itself. This will be included in the feasibility analysis which must be created prior to opening shop.
Promotion – I made direct contact with the marketing departments of two different food banks in Southeast Michigan, which I might not have done otherwise. I introduced my mother and re-introduced myself to Maggie Varney, Founder of Wigs 4 Kids in Saint Clair Shores. I had professional flyers created by the Move for Hunger team. Those flyers were delivered to individuals and businesses in the area.
Blog posts were written and promoted by Move for Hunger and Preferred Moving & Storage. Gleaners Community Food Bank of SEM, beneficiary of the food drive, posted the advertisement on their site. I promoted the food drive on social media. I told many people about it in person, via email, and phone, as did my mother and other people. I had stickers and packets made with my business card and a flyer promoting the cause. I engaged two local girls I know and they participated in the drive as volunteers.
Ways to Improve
Product & Price – The product was not flawed. However, the timing of the food drive theme, using face-painting – which is typically more of a summer activity – was likely part of the problem. The price, referred to as a suggested donation, also may have created some hesitation for many who would have come had it merely been listed as free.
Place – This was probably the biggest pitfall in the event. Being that it is the beginning of October, and there are infinite other fall events happening, there was a lot of competition to draw a crowd. Although the location was convenient to secure, there was very little visualization of our food drive due to the placement in the parking lot. Additionally, because it was outside and windy, it was cold. People are more likely to be drawn to indoor activities on days like that.
Promotion – Next time, I need to build up a larger audience of followers before attempting to use social media as the primary form of advertising. It is important to form close relationships with the people you are working with so when you are ready to ask a favor, you have already shown that you are willing to reciprocate. One other consideration is getting to know people in public media to make it easier to advertise locally for future events. Lastly, social media really needs to be consistently used in the same way to gain a regular audience – and it must be engaging.
Final Thoughts
I am proud of all of the accomplishments I effected while marketing and coordinating this food drive. It was somewhat of an experiment, but I am grateful for the experience, regardless of the outcome. At this point, I am uncertain of the actual amount of food raised altogether, but I estimate it at 150 – 200 lbs., which at best, is the equivalent of 167 meals; not too shabby, especially considering the low turnout. Fortunately, my goal was only 100 lbs., so I reached it after all. Success!
I’d like to thank everyone who helped me put this together, especially my mother, Judy Alford – without your help, I could not have done it.
Originally published on my blog, End Hunger for Good.
